Scars
by authorofmany22
Summary: i need you. because you make me laugh more then anyone else, and i'm the best me when i'm with you. and because when your gone, nothing feels right until you return.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE: FOURTH OF JULY

* * *

The Fourth of July. A day many would say they could remember vividly. For Oswald Malia Cooper the day was seared into her brain and more then anything... she wish she could forget.

Laying in a hospital bed Ozzie lay, her hand holding the bars on the sides of the bed so hard every five minutes her knuckles turned white and tears filled her eyes.

The pain gone, Ozzie let's go of the railing as her grandmother walks in and smiles at her the first of her grandchildren about to give her a great-grandchild.

Of course the blonde smiles back, only it is quickly contorted into a look of pain as she screams louder then she has since being admitted eighteen hours prior.

Her grandmother rushes to her side as nurses and doctors rush in. Right away they begin talking medical jumbo jumbo, so she turns to her former midwife grandmother to translate.

"You won't be able to have a normal birth sweetheart-"

"I can't have a c-section grams. They'll know what happened if I do!" Ozzie panicked.

Her grandmother with the help of the doctor and drugs managed to calm the golden haired mother to be down long enough to get her prepped and ready for the minor operation.

Inside the operating room Ozzie prayed to God that everything went smooth sailing in her drug induced haze, holding onto her grandmothers hand.

Somewhere along the way though she lost began to drift off. She could hear beeping and see a large pool of red liquid on the pristine white floor before she was taken by the darkness.

Feeling as though she a truck had run over her body, Ozzie opened her eyes to find her grandmother replacing some wilting Daisy's with fusias.

"Hey gam gam..." laughing at her grandmas squeal of surprise, she moved her hand over her stomach, wincing slightly in pain.

Hearing the familiar voice of her grandmother whisper her name. Turning to see her sitting covered by a blanket in the corner she smiled at the old crone. The old woman however wasn't smiling at her granddaughter being awake. Ozzie noticed that she looked sad.

"Grams? Is everything alright?" Ozzie asks. Her grandmother covers her mouth, a choked sob escaping as she stands up.

"I'm sorry, I ca-" Her grandmother looks at the nurse. "I can't." She says before taking her bag and walking out.

"Excuse me, nurse? What's going on?" Ozzie asks the woman, afraid of what upset her grandmother so as Elena Cooper had never been one to cry break easily.

"Things didn't exactly go as smoothly as it was supposed to in during the c-section..." The nurse pauses for a moment. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all before you passed out?"

Ozzie's brows pull together as she thinks hard, finding most things after the epidural and morphine to be a little foggy until-

"Blood. I remember there was a large pool of-" Ozzie looks at the nurse "-was it my blood?"

She nods.

"You were clinically dead on that table. Your grams almost had a heart attack when they were gonna give up after-"

"After what?" Ozzie questions, cutting the nurse off.

"It turns out before the doctor came in he'd been celebrating-" Ozzie combs her fingers through her hair, shaking her head, repeating the word 'no' as the woman continues "-your baby... I'm so sorry for your loss."

Standing in the cemetery with her grandmother and sister by her side, Ozzie didn't speak a word as she watched the small coffin be lowered into the ground.

Looking up from the wood box, her eyes met the granite which stated the birth and death of her daughter, a child that would only be known by only two people and one of them was herself.

On it read:

MALINA GALE COOPER

JULY 4, 2016

"She will always live in our hearts"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO: POPS CHOK'LIT SHOPPE

* * *

"Are you excited? Nervous?" Kevin questions Betty. Betty turns around.

"Both. I haven't seen him all summer." Betty says.

"Which is why nerves are acceptable, but we agreed, Betty... it's time." Looking up from the book her computer Ozzie closes her laptop.

"Time for what exactly?" Kevin, however ignores her.

"You like him, he likes you." Kevin says to Betty.

"Well, then why, Kevin, hadn't he ever said or done anything?" Betty asks.

"Because Archie's swell, but like most millennial strait guys, he needs to be told what he wants." Kevin says.

"He's right." Ozzie agrees. "So tell carrot top how you feel already."

"Well, we'll see. I mean, it depends." Betty mumbles. Kevin however is too busy looking through the window next door at a half-naked Archie Andrews.

"Oh, my God!" Kevin exclaims.

"What?" The Cooper sisters ask in unison, Ozzie getting up carefully to see what he's looking at and her jaw drops at the sight.

"Game changer. Archie got hot! He's got abs now-"

"Six more reasons for you to take that ginger bull by the horn tonight sis." Ozzie says and winks at her sister.

"So, what was the highlight?" Archie asks looking between the two of us. Having not really being paying attention to the conversation or at all interested in talking LA I simply shrug.

"The beach was cool. Lots of eye candy for me to choose from!" Archie laughs amused while Betty fakes a laugh, knowing something happened in LA. She didn't know what it was but Ozzie had different ever since. "I'm gonna the two of use alone and get me a burger!"

Sliding out of the booth she heard her sister begin to tell Archie about her internship as she made her way to Pop, stopping when she sees her old friend sitting by his lonesome, typing away at his laptop and made a b-line to the male.

"Hey Jugsie." She asks looking down at him. Sending a presence Jughead looks up.

"What do you want your highness?" Jughead asks, a sour look on his face.

The blonde sighs band slides into the seat across from Jughead.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened- but I need you Jugs-" Jughead cut her off.

"You should be a little more careful with who you date. Heard it's hard to tame a flower. Even harder to tame a snake."

If anyone were looking at Ozzie right then they would see the fear on her face. Not because of who the guy she 'had' been seeing was but rather the fact that anyone knew.

Sliding out of the booth Ozzie headed toward her sister and Archie, passing a new face as she did.

Ozzie had been sure that he had smiled. That he was ready to forgive whatever wrong she had done. But his face soured like he had eaten an entire lemon.

"I'm gonna go now Betty Boo." She whispers in her sisters ear, having snuck up behind her she made her sister jump in her seat.

"God!" Hand to her chest, Betty turns to her sister. "Two minutes?"

Ozzie nods and says goodbye to Archie as she walks out of Pop's. Looking at the friend who had turned against her in pain as she passed him by, unaware there was more to his sudden disconnect toward her then he said.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE: BACK TO SCHOOL

* * *

"Girls. This coming year is critical for colleges. Grades are important, extracurriculars, athletics. Maintaining a decent character is hugely important, they do look at that."

"Mom!" Ozzie and Betty yell in unison.

"We're sophomores!" Betty groans.

"You girls have accomplished so much, I don't want anything jeopardizing that. I mean, just think of your poor sister. She was such a shining star before she let that Blossom boy ruin her-"

"We are not Polly." Ozzie says, venom lacing her words as she leaves the room in anger.

"Ozzie-"

"I think I'll just walk to school today mother."

"So, I usually start off my tours with a little history and context. Riverdale High first opened its doors in 1941 and-" The new girl, Veronica Lodge says cutting Betty off

"And hasn't been redecorated since, apparently. Honestly, I feel like I'm wondering through the lost epilogue of Our Town."

"Pretty sure we both agree with you there." Ozzie says from her sisters side.

"So what's the social scene like here? Any night clubs?" Ozzie makes an unladylike noise at Veronica's question, as the one and only Kevin Keller comes to the rescue.

"A strip club called the Hoe Zone and a tragic gay bar called Innuendo-"

"Friday nights, football games then tailgate parties at the Mallmart parking lot-" Ozzie chimes.

"Saturday night is movie night, regardless of what's playing at the Bijou, and you better get there early, because we don't have reserved seating in Riverdale. And Sunday nights... Thank God for HBO." Kevin says in one breath.

"Veronica Lodge, Kevin Keller." Betty introduces. "Veronica's New here and Kevin is-"

"Gay, thank god. Let's be best friends." Veronica says shaking his hand.

"Is it true what they say about your dad?" Kevin asks. Ozzie smacks him upside the head. "Ow!"

"That he's the devil incarnate? I stand by my father. Does everyone here know?" Betty makes a face and looks down while Ozzie nods her head yes. "Wonderful. Ten minutes in and I'm already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High."

Betty and Ozzie give Kevin a look. He looks at them confused and shrugs.

"What?"

"Oh, and of course there's the Back-to-School semiformal dance this weekend-" Betty says as the turn into another hallway, only to be cutoff as Veronica pulls the blonde toward her.

"There's the hottie we were with last night. The red-head Angel Elgort." Ozzie holds back a laugh at the girls description of Archie. "Are you dating him?"

"No we're just friends." "No, he's strait." Both Betty and Kevin say at the same time making Ozzie laugh.

"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavour of boy but orange." Veronica asks Betty.

"Actually, to clarify... Betty and Archie aren't dating, but they are endgame." Kevin cuts in.

Now walking arm in arm with the lanky boy, Ozzie smiles and nods her head.

"You should ask him to the semi formal then." Veronica states.

"She should, but I heard it might be getting cancelled." Ozzie perked up at this bit of news. "Because of what happened to Jason." Ozzie immediately tensed at the mention of Jason Blossom. "They're gonna tell us at the assembly."

"Who's Jason and what happened to him?"

"Thank you for that moment of silence. Many of you were lucky enough to have known my brother personally. Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason." I shook my head and laughed at Cheryl's words. Her brother was an entitled, heartless monster who deserved what he got. He destroyed her sister.

However looking up at the podium at Cheryl dressed in black she couldn't help but think what if the roles were reversed and she had lost Betty? Born only nine months apart the two were twins in their families and Riverdale's eyes.

The guilt that crept in however didn't replace her hatred for Jason Blossom. That ran far too deep.

"... Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives. Which is why I've asked the School Board not to cancel the Back-to-School semiformal."

Clapping slowly with the rest of the crowd, Ozzie looked to her left to see Betty waving at someone. Following her line of sight she smiled and did the same until she noticed he wasn't looking at them. Following the direction her gaze stopped in Miss Grundy.

Not wanting to come to conclusions that could get people in trouble she searched the crowd, eyes finding a pair who seemed to be searching for someone when finally the landed on her.

Ozzie frowned at the emotion that crossed his face, having never seen it cross Jughead's face in all the eleven years they had been best friends.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR: RED WIDOW

* * *

Putting down her sandwich, Ozzie and Betty smile as Archie's song plays. Only for the moment to be interrupted by Veronica.

"Hey! Can I join?" She asks.

"Yeah." Betty nods. As Veronica moves to sit next to Kevin, the other Cooper pouts having her space taken away from her.

"What are you doing?" Veronica asks.

"Listening to one of Archie's songs." Betty says enthusiastically.

"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good." Kevin says.

"Wait, that was you singing?" Archie nods. "Something you wrote?" Veronica questions.

"It's rough-" Betty cuts Archie off.

"No, it's great."

"It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard. Is that your thing? Music? Are you doing something with that?" Veronica questions.

"Yeah, that's the plan." Archie answers. "So, how's your first day going? Good?" Archie asks.

"Not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more-"

"Obsessed with you? Any other year, you'd be trending number one for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl trying to win Best Supporting Psycho for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow." Kevin says.

Ozzie tries her best not to laugh at what Kevin just said.

"Hey, I should go. I got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, so." Archie pack his bag and leaves.

"You play football, too? What don't you do" Veronica asks.

"Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no, she has not invited him to the dance yet." Kevin says.

"Not yet, and don't talk about Archie." Betty whisper yells as Cheryl Blossom approaches them.

"Veronica Lodge, I'd heard whisperings. I'm Cheryl Blossom, may I sit." She looks down at Betty for a moment. "Betty would you mind?"

Cheryl didn't give Betty time to move over before sliding onto the bench, pushing her so she was able to face all three opposite them.

"So, what are you three hens gossiping about? Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?" Cheryl questions.

"Extracurriculars. Weatherbee wants me to sign up for a few." Veronica pipes up, lying on the spot.

"Cheerleading! You must. I'm senior captain of the River Vixens." Cheryl flips her hair.

"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin asks.

"Is being the Gay Best Friend still a thing? Some people say it's retro, I say it's eternal and iconic." She turns to Ozzie. "Your spots still open if you want it Oz?"

Ozzie says nothing as both all four were staring at her until Veronica decided to finally answer.

"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elites' pyramid. I'm in." She looks over at Betty. "Betty, you're trying out, too."

"Of course, anyone's welcome to try out-" she looks down at Betty's lunch "-but Betty's already got so much on her plate right now and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing." Cheryl turns her head to Ozzie "But open to all!" Sliding off of the bench she stands by Veronica. "Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same. My handle is cherylbombshell."

Waiting until the red-head was out of hearing range, Veronica opened her mouth.

"Okay. Go ahead and hate on cheerleading, but if Hipster Prince Harry-" Betty cut her off.

"I'd love to be a cheerleader. It would look great on my college applications. But last year, when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat."

""Too season 5 Betty Draper." It was a great line-" Ozzie steps on Kevin's foot with her heel "-but not at all true."

"Well, you're a total smoke show now. I mean it. As hot and as smart as you are, you should be the Queen Bey of this drab hive. Look, if you want to be a River Vixen, I'll help you prep. I have moves. " Veronica offers.

"I'll help as well." Ozzie says, moving out of her seat and over to sit on the other side by Betty.

"Okay. You know what? Show me your moves."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE: NO THANKS

* * *

Standing on the sidelines does Oswald Cooper watch as her sister absolutely nail the routine that she and Veronica prepped for the try outs.

The cheer wasn't much, but it should've been enough considering it was the same more then fifty percent of the River Vixen's used to get on the squad.

As they finished she kept her gaze on her former captain, Cheryl Blossom. The red-head didn't seem satisfied with the performance.

"Hmm. Ladies, where's the heat? Where's the sizzle?" Cheryl demands.

"Well, you haven't seen our big finish yet." Veronica exclaims. Ozzie frowns at the raven-heads words as she moves toward her sister. Ozzie doesn't know what she says but the next thing she knows the two are kissing.

The former Vixen shakes her head knowing Veronica wasn't going to be satisfied in the slightest, and she was proven correct her again.

"Check your sell-by date, ladies, faux lesbian kissing hasn't been taboo since 1994. So let's see if you do better with the interview portion of our audition." She leans forward. "Betty, how's your sister doing?"

The former Vixen walks out of the shadows and walks onto the court, by her sister.

"Um-"

"Polly's fine, thanks for asking." Ozzie cuts in.

"Veronica, has Betty and Ozzie told you about their sister yet?" Cheryl asks. Her face becoming sour, words laced with hate.

"Uh, no." Veronica says.

"Go ahead, girls. Tell Veronica about your sister and my dear brother." Cheryl pushes.

"Polly and Jason dated." Betty says. Cheryl scoffs.

"I wouldn't say "dated"."

"It didn't end well." Ozzie says getting angrier by the minute.

"In fact, Jason's probably why your sister had a nervous breakdown and now lives in a group home, isn't it?" Cheryl asks.

"That's what our parents think." Ozzie says, putting fuel to the already burning inferno.

"What do you have to say about that, girls? Go ahead, the floor is yours. Whatever you've been dying to spew about Jason and how he treated Polly, unleash it. Destroy me. Tear me a new one. Rip me to shreds. Annihilate me."

"I just..." Betty trails off.

"Finally." Cheryl says.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened to Jason. I can't even imagine what you and your family must be going through." Cheryl doesn't even look at Betty. Her eyes set on her sister.

"Right." She whispers.

"Ozzie, Veronica, welcome to the River Vixens. Betty, better luck next time."

"Wait, what? Why? Because you couldn't bully Betty into being a bitch?" Veronica demands.

"I need girls with fire on my squad." Cheryl answers.

"I know what you need, Cheryl, because I know who you are. You would rather people fear than like you, so you traffic in terror and intimidation. You're rich, so you've never been held accountable, but I'm living proof. That certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown? It won't last. Eventually, there will be a reckoning. Or... Maybe that reckoning is now. And maybe, that reckoning... Is me. Betty and I come as a matching set. You want one, you take us both. You wanted fire? Sorry, Cherrybombshell, my specialty's ice."

Cheryl inhales sharply and turns her gaze to Ozzie.

"Oz-"

"Thanks for the spot Cheryl, but I'm done with cheerleading. Forever."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX: THE DANCE

* * *

Laughing as Betty dances around her room to some pop song in her new Vixens uniform, Ozzie's face fell seeing her mother in the doorway.

Sitting up as Betty turns off the music and their mother makes her presence known.

"What is that?" She stares at Betty's outfit.

"I made the cheerleading squad." Betty answers smiling.

"Cheryl Blossom's cheerleading squad? After what Jason did to Polly?" Remembering the way Ozzie was when she was on the cheerleading team and how the Blossom boy treated his girl however, their mother was far from pleased of Betty's decision.

"No, I'm sorry. I won't allow it."

"Mom your being unfair-" Ozzie was cut off by her mother.

"Do not start with me Oswald Malia!" She turns to Betty. "Take that off right now."

"No." Betty says.

"What did you just say to me?" Their mother sounds shocked and looks utterly confused having never heard the word left Betty's mouth before.

"I do everything for everyone. Everything to be perfect. The perfect daughter, the perfect sister, the perfect student... can't I do this one thing just for me?" Betty yells at their mother before getting her purse.

"Wait-" Betty cuts her off.

"Get out of my way!"

"Where are you going?"

"To buy a dress. Because guess what? I'm also going to the dance with Archie. And Veronica." Betty answers.

"Wait. Hermione Lodges daughter?" Their mother asks.

"She's actually really nice. And trying to be a good person-"

"You think so? You think she's going to be your friend? Let me tell you something. Girls like Cheryl and Veronica Lodge, they don't like girls like us." Their mother says.

At that Ozzie get up and grabs her own purse.

"It's happening mum. I'm going. We're going."

Looking around the room there wasn't anything Ozzie found that lured her into getting loose.

The large banners with Jason Blossoms face especially didn't help any so the first chance she got with everyone occupied...

She left.

Walking into the Chok'Lit Shoppe, the first thing Ozzie notices is Jughead sitting at the same booth as he was the last time she was here.

Despite her better judgement she walked over to his table, hiking up her dress a little to make it easier to walk before stopping by his side.

"Want some fries with that?" She asks indicating to his burger. When he looks up, his face flashes from the mask of distrust to that of which she caught during the assembly.

"Wow. Ozzie you look-" he stops himself and looks away.

"What? I look like a train wreck don't I?" She sighs and look down. Jughead looks up at the blonde.

"No, you look beautiful." He looks back at his computer screen ant types away, seeing her smile in his peripheral vision.

"Thanks Jugs." She turns to walk away before she stops and turns back around. "You know Jones. You can't hate me forever." Jughead's hands freeze and he looks up at Ozzie.

"I never said I hated you."

A bell chimes breaking Ozzie out of her daze, signaling a customer has entered Ozzie turns around to leave only to bump into one other then Archie Andrews.

"Archie? What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen your sister?" Archie asks.

"Not since the dance... the two of use were dancing when I left, what's happened?" A new, very long, very detailed text from Betty however updated her on missing events.

"Be smart Archie. Leave my sister alone."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN: ARREST & DEVELOPMENT


End file.
